Key holder



Oct. 28,r 1947. A R. c. PFAU 2,429,840

KEY HOLDER Filed may 29; 14945 sheets-sheet 1 Oct. 28, 1947.l 4 R, C. PFAU 2,429,840

KEY HOLDER Filed May29, 1945 l 2 Sheets-sheet 2 f @orber- C ofau.

Patented Gct. 28, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KEY HOLDER Robert C. Pfau, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application May 29, 1945, Serial No. 596,464

This invention relates to key holders and has for one of its objects to improve generally upon such articles and more particularly to provide the same for readily attaching keys to and removing the same from the holder and at the same time facilitate the handling of the desired key in the dark or inadequate light for discernability and also to provide for the folding of the cover or casing 4of the article compactly so as to enable the same to be carried in ones pocket without discomfort or causing undue wear upon the pocket.

Other objects and advantages to be attained will hereinafter more fully appear in the following description. Y

A practical but non-limiting exemplication of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a key holder constructed in accordance with the invention with the flap portions of the covering or case opened out flatwise;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the holding means for Figure 3 is an end view of the parts shown in f Figure 2;

Figures 4 and 5 are respectively side elevation and top plan views of a practical form of spacer element;

4 Claims. (Cl. 'Y0-456) Figure 6 is a detail view of a practical form Y of a marker or identification element;

Figures 7, 8 and 9 are fragmentary viewsillustrating a modiiication of the releasable retaining means for the key carrying element of the denumeral Il) designates, generally, a case or outer covering for the key holder.v As shown, this case or covering I0 comprises a generally rectangular major body portion II, two side flap portions I2, I3, respectively, and an end ap I4. However, while this showing is of a practical form it is, of course, understood that, as far as the present invention is concerned, this part of the device may be made in any other desirable or approved form.

Secured to the inner face of the body portion Il of the case or covering, near the flap end I4 thereof, is a reinforcing and supporting bar I5 of metal or any other/suitable rigid material.

At one end of the bai` I5 is formed integrally or otherwise provided a right angular extension I6 in which an eye member II is mounted swivelly, as at I8. A key carrying and supporting element I9, of either a rigid or flexible character, and either in the form of a chain or a bar, as may be desired, is hingedly or swingably attached to said eye I1 to permit universal movement of said element I9. At the opposite end of the element I9 is either hingedly or rigidly attached, as may be desired, a relatively shorter extension or bar 20 having at its outer end a knob or handle member2l,

The extension or bar member 20 isv releasably attached and supported ina frame 22 which is either formed integrally with or rigidly attached to the adjacent end portion of said reinforcing and supporting bar I5. As shown more clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the frame 22 is of a generally rectangular, substantially U-shaped form comprising a base portion 23 and two lopposite up- Standing side members 24, 25. The frame thus formed is open at its top, as indicated by the arrow and the designating numeral 26 (see Figure 3). It is through this opening 2B that the extension or'bar member 20 is movable into and out of the frame 22 in securing said member 29 to and removing the same from its support in said frame 22.

The support for the member 29 of the element I9 comprises, as Shown more clearly in Figure 3, a spiral spring element 2'I which is secured at one end portion to the side member 25 of said frame 22, asiat 28. This spring element 2'I is coiled inwardly from its attached end portion 23 and terminates at its inner end portion with a small loop portion 29 at the extreme end of which is formed integrally or otherwise provided a knob or head 39. It is within this inner loop portion 29 of the spring element 2'I that the extension or bar member 20 of the element I9 is supported and normally releasably retained in position. v

It is a simple matter to place the member 29 of the element I9VY within the looped inner portion 29 of the spring element 21, by grasping said member 26 and forcibly moving the same sideber 20 rides into the inner looped portion 29 of said spring element, Where said member 20 is retained by the head 30 on the inner end of the spring element 21, which head 30, owing to its relative angular position/within the adjacent convolution of the spring element is sprung inwardly as said element 20 is forced by said head 30, and after the element 20 has passed said head 38 the latter, by the reaction of the adjacent portion of the spring element 21, springs back in engagement with the head 2| of said member 25 or else in contact with the adjacent portion of said member 20. By the same token, and a reversal of movement of the member 23, the latter is, by a revolving movementl of said member 25, moved out of said spring element 21 and is free to be moved out through the opening 26 of the frame 22 to be there held by hand in manipulation of the element' I9 in placing keys upon or removing the same from said element I9.

In some uses of the device of the present invention the element I9 may be made to carry `only the keys, two oi which latter are indicated, as at 33 and 34, for exempliflcation, in Figure 1. Itis, of course, understood that said element I9 may be made to carry any'desirable number of keys thereon, and, in some cases, for enhancing the advantages of the holder and particularly in readily identifying the desired key to be used, especially in the dark or inadequate light, suitable spacer elements 35, a practical example of which is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, may be provided on said element I9 between the respective keys strung thereon. These spacer elements 35 may be of any suitable form and character as to material used, and the same may be either rigid or flexible, but, for practical purposes, it is preferable to make the elements 35 of plain cylindrical cross section with an axial bore therethrough. So, too, said elements 35 may be plain cylindrical with squared ends or, as shown more clearly in planl view in Figure 5, the opposite end portions of said elements 35 may be beveled off, as at 36.

In addition to the aforesaid spacing elements 35, special marker or identification elements 31 may be placed between the several keys on the element I9, one correlated to and adjacent each key to facilitate the selection of the particular key desired to be used. As shown, these marker or identication elements 31 may be in the form of centrally apertured circular discs (see Figure 6), and marked with identification indicia.

From the foregoing it is evident that. a key holder is produced on which the several keys may be placed and removed, at will, conveniently selected and handled in use, and the folded and closed case or covering containing the keys can be placed and carried conveniently in/ the pocket and without causing any undue wear on the pocket.

The illustrated exemplication of the invention is but one practical form and adaptation of the invention and the same may be modied and changed in many respects without departing from the spirit of the invention as dened in the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is not limited to the specic construction and arrangement shown.

An illustrative modification of the invention is shown in Figures '7, 8 and 9 of the drawings. This mcdication concerns the releasable holding means for the end extension and manipulating member 20 of the key carrying and supporting element I9. The parts I0, I5, 20, 2l, 22,

4 23, 24 and 25 are the same as in the rst herein described structure. However, a different form of spring retainer element 38 is provided in place of the aforesaid spring element 21.

The spring element 38 is made in a single, open-ended loop and in an oval form with the smaller end of the oval open, as at 39, in the normal shape of the spring (see Figure '1). One end portion of the spring element 38 is screwed, riveted or otherwise fastened securely to the leg 25 of the supporting bracket .22, as at 40. The free end of said element 38 is provided with a laterally extended knob 4 I. y

In the normal position and condition of the spring element 38, the periphery of its portion, near its free, knobbed end 4|, is urged into yieldable, tangential contact, as at 42, against a curved supporting member 43 (see Figure '1). The member 43 is a metal strip of ample rigidity when secured in place on the bracket element 23 yet possessing certain inherent resiliency so that, Vwhen one end thereof is seated in the corner portion of the bracket lelement 22 at the inner end of the leg 25, as at 44, it can be bent curvedly between its ends, substantially as shown, with its opposite end portion screwed, riveted or `otherwise suitably secured to the outer end portion ofY the opposite leg 24 of the bracket element 22, as at 45.

In applying the end extension 2U of the key carrying and supporting element I9 for releasable holding thereof by the spring element 38, in the modied form of holder, the part 2B is first placed in the opening 26, as in the rst herein described modication, and then moved forcibly inward betweenthe curved support 43 and adjacent portion of the spring element 38, as indicated by the dotted line and full line showings in Figure 9, which spreads the element 38 away from the support 43 substantially as shown. Continued movement of the member 20 and its carried knob 2 I, inwardly, until said parts are arrested in crotch at the corner juncture of the base 23 and leg 25 of vthe bracket element 22, permits the spring member 38 to react, by its inherent resiliency, and return to its normal set position, as shown in Figure 1. With the parts thus positioned, the key carrier extension 20 is held securely in place by the spring element 38 bearing thereagainst laterally thereof, and at the same time the cooperating adjacent knob portions 2| and 4I, provided respectively on the key carrier element 20 and the spring element 38, prevent inward longitudinal movement of the member 2!) or its disengagement from the holding bracket 22 that might occur if it were not so retained.

To disengage the held element 29 the operation is in reverse order to that in which the attachment is accomplished as just above described. That is to say, by merely grasping the knob 2| and moving the element 20 out of place from under the spring element 33, or, if found necessary or of facility, by also grasping the knob 4I and forcing the spring element away from the curved support 43 to more readily pass the element 20 therebetween.

It is here noted that the knob elements 2I and 4I may be applied to their respective companion and carrying parts in any desirable manner, being either formed integrally thereon or made detachable therefrom, in which latter case, the knobs may be applied substantially as indicated in Figure 10, or otherwise, as may be more practical or preferred. As shown in Figure 10 the application of the knob to its companion carrying element is accomplished in a simple conventional form, that is to say, by merely screwthreading the end portion of the companio-n carrying element, as at 26)', and providing the knob element 2l (or the element 4l, as the case may be) with a counterpart, internally screw threaded, diametrical bore to lit on said screw threaded supporting portion.

As hereinbeiore stated, the rst structure described herein, is susceptible of considerable modiflcation within the purview of the invention as dened in the appended claims. The same is true of the modication just hereinbefore dcscribed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A key holder comprising a supporting base, a key-receiving and supporting element having a universally swingable attachment at one end to said supporting base, and means upon said supporting base remote from said universaliy swingable end attachment of said key-receivM ing and supporting element and arranged and adapted to detachably receive and support the opposite end of said key-receiving and supporting element, said means comprising a spirally formed spring element supported at one end on said supporting base and the key-receiving and supporting element having at its end opposite to that which is universally swingably mounted an extension member arranged and adapted to be moved around and Within the convolution of the spring element until it is received and releasably supported by the innermost convolute portion of the spring element.

2. A key holder comprising a supporting base, a key-receiving and supporting element having a universally swingable attachment at one end to said supporting base, and means on said supporting base remote from the universally swingable end attachment of said key-receiving and supporting element and arranged and adapted to detachably receive and support the opposite end of said key-receiving and supporting element, said means comprising a spiral spring element fastened supportedly at one end on an adjacent portion of said supporting base and looped convolutely from its supported end with its opposite end forming a terminal of its innermost convolution and said inner end of the spring having an enlargement thereon, and the end of said key-receiving and supporting element opposite to its universally swingable supported end having an extension provided at its outer end with an enlargement, said extension being movable around and within the convolution of said spring element until it reaches a restricted opening defined by its innermost convolution, thereby to be supported and retained, and whereby the release of said key-receiving and supporting element from said spring element is accomplished by a correlated manipulation of the enlarged ends of said spring element and said key-receiving and supporting element extension and 'with a reversely revoluble movement of said eX- tension around and within the convolution of said spring element until said extension is freed from engagement with' said spring element.

3. A key holder comprising a supporting base, a key-receiving and supporting element having a universally swingable attachment to said supporting base, and means upon said supporting base remote from said unversallyswingable end attachment of said key-receiving and supporting element and arranged and adapted to detachably receive and support the opposite end of said keyreceiving and supporting element, said means including an extension member carried by the end cf the key-receiving and supporting element opposite to that of the universally swingable end thereof, and a convolute spring means supported on said base and in association with said extension member for releasably supporting the latter.

fi. A key ho1der as set forth in claim 3, wherein the means for detachably receiving and Support-, ing the free end of the key-receiving and supporting element comprises an inclined abutment member on the supporting base in transversely opposed relation to a perpendicular abutment member on the base and the spring means is fastened at its supported end portion on said perpendicular member and its free end portion is disposed in cooperatively opposed relation to said inclined abutment member.

ROBERT C. PFAU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,042,918 Houck Oct. 29, 1912 1,451,802 Andrews et al Apr. 17, 1923 

